DOUBLE VISION

Taiwan, 2002, 113 minutes, Colour.
Tony Leung Kay- Fai, David Morse, Rene Liu, Brett Climo.
Directed by Chen Kuo- Fu.

A stylish Taiwanese production with American finance and Australian technical support. It is strongly Chinese in its plot, atmosphere and development but is quite accessible to and entertaining for Western audiences. Basically it is a police investigation thriller, the teaming of a Chinese officer (Tony Leung Kai-Fai) with an American (David Morse). Mysterious murders in Taipei lead to the uncovering of a Taoist cult that uses biotechnical developments to perform ritual killings in order to achieve immortality. While the American uses science, forensic evidence and logic, the Chinese is more open to mysterious and transcendent influences in the world. This is a superior production of its kind.

1. An entertaining co-production, Taiwan, United States, Australia? Its universal appeal?

2. The city of Taipei and its becoming a character in the film? The comparisons with the American sequences in Quantico and the FBI centre, the desert and the American prison? The musical score and songs?

3. The drama of the prologue, the mother giving birth, the stillborn baby, its eye and double vision, its being kept in the laboratories? The surviving girl, 17 years later, her story, wanting immortality and to be united with her mother and sister?

4. The approach of the FBI to cases about serial killers, forensic studies, evidence, science and explanations, analyses? Autopsies and information? Theories based on logic? The developments of technology?

5. The contrast with Chinese traditions, a world of spirits? The Taoist traditions, beliefs in ghosts, immortality, hells and condemnations of individuals to different kinds of hells? Leading to rituals and cults? Ghosts and supernatural presences? The interaction of this Chinese belief and approach to the scientific American approach?

6. The murders in Taipei and their mysterious nature, to evidence: the industrial boss and his being frozen, the politician's mistress and her being burnt in her apartment, the priest and his being disembowelled in his bed? The reasons for these people being murdered? The mystery and the link between them? The air-conditioning, the drugs produced, affecting the brain and different hallucinations? The Thai police and the press conference, their saying that the murders were heart attacks and ordinary?

7. Huang Huo- Tu and his background, the investigation into corruption, his cousin taking his daughter as hostage, his shooting him, the alienation from his wife, his daughter not speaking, his leaving home, staying at his office, playing chess, alone, Li as his friend, urging him to better things? The lack of co-operation with the other police? Working with Foreign Affairs? His arrest of the Filipino trader in workers?

8. The comparison with Kevin Richter and his background at the FBI, his lecture, smoking, genial attitude, his explanation of the profile and its being wrong compared with the reality? Anthony Wayland and his victims, strangled, smiling? Richter visiting him in prison, his final words, putting the cigarette into Kevin's hand? The mystery of his talk about immortality? Going to Taiwan, the hostile reception by the local police, meeting Huang, the broken car window and Huang's tension, the meetings, the seeming courtesy of the police, the translation, his going to the scene of the crime? Going to the air-conditioner, getting the evidence?

9. The continued investigation, going to the Professor of Taoism, getting the information about the talisman? The geniuses, their background, selling their business, building the temple within their modern skyscraper? The police going to the temple, the cult, the ritual murder? The raid and the massacre? Finding the girl, her wounds, taking her to hospital?

10. Huang and his wife, her sympathetic attitude towards her husband, yet wanting the divorce? The visits with their daughter? His anger, the meeting with Kevin, Kevin's advice to Huang, courtesy to his wife?

11. Kevin and the visit to the family after the investigation, the meal together? His telling his story to Huang? Watching the press conference on the television, his belief in science, that the case was closed? The horror of his death during the night?

12. The girl and her powers, Huang and its effect on him, going to the temple, confronting her, his dreams about his wife and child, the girl transforming into them? Threatening him? His shooting her?

13. His going to hospital, his being pronounced dead, his wife willing him to live, his daughter speaking?

14. A satisfying blend of Asian and Western styles of film-making? The use of the police genre? Science and mystery?